Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce to die for. But Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen after a “bit of trouble” at her last job. Now blacklisted from Seattle to San Francisco, Daisy’s sole job offer is from Wild Man Lodge in Otter Bite, Alaska, where the end of the road is just the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Three:

“I had apple strudel. I never have apple strudel. It’s not my usual.”

“You came here to tell me you had apple strudel?”

“The thing is…I liked it. For a change, I mean. Once. Not every day, of course.”

“Max–”

“The truth is…” He stepped toward her. “The truth is…I feel bad about giving you such a hard time at breakfast.”

“Ohhhh. This is an apology.”

“No, absolutely not.” Max retracted the step he’d just taken. “This is absolutely NOT an apology.”

Daisy huffed. Normally, she’d take great satisfaction in Max’s guilt and take equal pleasure in the banter that would surely follow. However, she was a woman on a mission, and she didn’t have the time, not with Otter Bite hanging by a manila envelope.

“Fine. Thank you for coming here NOT to apologize and for that apple strudel thing. And–” She momentarily softened. “–the money. But I just don’t have the time for whatever this is.”

Once again he stepped toward her. “You’re making this extremely difficult.”

“This? This what? What am I making–“

“This.” The word melted into her mouth.

The two hundreds floated from her hand to the floor. Then, her arms wrapped Max’s neck, his body pressed hers, and Daisy was lost in a kiss she never expected to own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell spent her childhood overseas as the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she earned a BA in Art and an MBA while working at the local humane shelter. At 26, she packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in a single-engine Cessna. A vegan and animal rights advocate, Maggie provides a sanctuary on her Arizona ranch for all creatures great and small, but her immediate family includes dog Molly, cat Sara, horses Quinn and Teena, and an ever-growing dynasty of chipmunks. Every year, like the Gray Whale, Maggie returns to Alaska.

Brief history: Born in Oklahoma, raised in Dallas. Moved to East Texas with the hubs and son in 2006 and have been here every since. I have an aunt, uncle and cousin w/her family that live in Grapevine. Love Grapevine Mills Mall. The only thing I miss about Dallas is the shopping. Don’t miss the traffic. 🙂